I was reading in Mark 10 when I got to the story where blind Bartimaeus is crying out as Jesus is going by. The crowd rebuked him, but he continued to cry out until finally, they spoke these words to him, Take heart. Get up; He is calling you. Elated, he jumped to his feet, threw off his cloak, and went to Jesus.
As I read this story, the thought came to me that Jesus calls to each of us just as he did Bartimaeus. He calls to the lost to come to him and find forgiveness, to the weary to find rest, to the anxious to find peace, to the bound to find freedom, and to his children to find fellowship. Every day his spirit calls to our spirits. He longs for us to receive all that we need in his presence.
David wrote in Psalm 16:11 that in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore. David is a great example of someone who truly loved the presence of God. He loved being in the house of the Lord and craved it. He truly understood the beauty of a genuine relationship with God.
God Desires Fellowship
As Christians, we have received the gift of salvation and have answered that call, but we tend not to respond to the call to our spirit to fellowship. When God created man and woman he created them for fellowship with him. Even after Adam and Eve sinned, God still fellowshipped with them, and when Cain killed Abel, it was Cain who went out from the presence of God and not God’s presence that left Cain.
God loves each of us individually and desires to spend time with us not just when he is needed but because we love him back. Reading our Bibles and praying shouldn’t be done out of guilt or religiously but as a way to connect with God. There is life and renewal in the word of God.
God is waiting for us to answer the call to seek him and find him because he knows we will find everything we need in his presence. We were not placed on this earth to struggle, please ourselves, live defeated, or chase after the world.
We were placed here to be the friends and children of God. Isn’t that an amazing thought? God created you for his pleasure (Revelations 4:11). Not because he needed someone to serve him but because he wanted someone to love him, trust him, and receive his love.
A Chosen People
He chose the Israelites because he desired a people to dwell among, and he offered them so much good if they would only trust him and obey his commands. God chose you and I not only to dwell among but to dwell within, and he has good plans for us if we would only let go of our lives and trust him.
There is a desire for revival within the church and a fresh outpouring of his presence, touch, and miracles. But the truth is, God isn’t the one who took his presence from us; he didn’t shut off the spout on his spirit or deny us miracles.
God is Waiting
We are the ones who have lost touch with Him. He has never left, and his hands have been stretched toward us, waiting to give us all we need and to satisfy. Church, if we want to see the move of God, we must respond to his call to seek him.
God wants the church to leave the things of this world and come to him. Let’s throw off the cloak of lies the world has told us would satisfy, and leap to our feet and walk to Jesus as he whispers to our spirits, come.
Referenced Verses: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MArk10%3A46-52&version=ESV
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+16%3A11&version=ESV
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelations+4%3A11-12&version=KJV